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Peter Hoskin

Pete suggests


Charles at it again

Thursday, 14th February 2008

If Prince Charles wants to make deeply political speeches to the European Parliament  then he should renounce his position as heir to the throne and run for election to it.

What he should not do is abuse that privileged position by offering his thoughts on controversial issues to anyone who will listen. 

It's nothing to do with whether he is right or wrong (although he is dangerously wrong on homeopathy and other quackery). It's his inability to stick to the deal under which we have a monarcy - and  so keep his trap shut.
 .
The man is simply not fit to be monarch.

UPDATE: One of my commenters says it's all very well but I wouldn't have said all this if I agreed with Charles. Small problem there: I do agree with him on climate change. But as I made clear, this has nothing to with whether he is right or wrong.

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Scipio

February 14th, 2008 6:39pm

The only time Sultan Charles al-Windsor ever said something that I agreed with was back in the 1980's when he deplored the post World War II British architecture.

Dame DeVille

February 14th, 2008 8:05pm

Don't agree...

The English Constitution is an slippery thing, difficult to pin down but it can certainly cope with an outspoken King.

This is a time of widespread contempt for Politicians and The Political Establishment there is a general sense of powerlessness.

Nationalism threatens the British State which acts in the face of considerable opposition and with little in the way of democratic consent or support!

The King and his attractive, strong young Sons (both touched with the Diana magic) will become powerful forces in the years to come as the British State unravels and the reality of our true situation in relation to the EU is understood!

People are looking for new leaders that take their legitimacy from our Nation's roots, people are frustrated and angry.

The Nation is open to Question and a King who expresses his opinions will be compelled to speak and this is not a bad thing.

It is the only force that can overcome the partially elected and narrowly drawn dictatorship that currently governs.

Verity

February 14th, 2008 10:36pm

Can anyone shut this prat up? I find it hard to believe that, with all the advice available to him - as in, real climate scientists would squeeze a talk with him into their busy schedules and set him straight, I'm sure. But oh, no! Al Gore and his retinue of clingers onto the bandwagon are, given credence because they shout the loudest. In fact, like Charles, they never shut up. He has no right to be speaking on behalf of the British, in Europe, about climate change or any other moonbat theories. The sun and the sun alone is responsible for heating and cooling periods over millions of years. I cannot believe he has not only fallen for this self-promoting Goresque garbage, but is giving public talks on it. Charles will be complaining about hanging chads next. I wish he'd shut up.

Max Kaye

February 15th, 2008 12:16am

Poor Queen. I'm sure she'd love to retire to Balmoral and enjoy the delights of the countryside in the autumn of her life... unfortunately she feels compelled to stay in the saddle for as long as she can in the hope that by the time he becomes King Charles will be too old and senile to do any real damage.

Dame DeVille - are you for real? 'Diana Magic'? Yuck!

Max Kaye

February 15th, 2008 12:19am

"The man is simply not fit to be monarch."

But perhaps a great candidate for Archbishop of Canterbury in the model of our beloved Rowan Williams.

Lee Jakeman

February 15th, 2008 1:30am

Question to Charlie: If the world continued to overheat and 95% of us were wiped out in a global calamity, would this be a bad thing? I mean, have YOU walked down Oxford street on a Saturday morning?

Roy

February 15th, 2008 6:58am

If he confined his opinion to agriculture, and brought some enlightened principals to this neglected subject.

Effing and Blinding

February 15th, 2008 10:32am

He’s a bloke whose carbon footprint and general consumption must be one of the biggest of any human being who has ever lived – 60 years of motorcades, multiple homes, a yacht, banquets, private planes etc. I didn’t listen to his speech (and won't) but I bet it was more about the rest of tightening our belts. But I doubt we’ll see HRH doing anything of that kind real soon.

Hip Gnosis

February 15th, 2008 2:48pm

Your post sounds very principled, Stephen. A crown prince shouldn't make political speeches, etc. Whether or not that principle is even sound, I would observe that you would not have made this post had Prince Charles said something you agreed with.

Stephen Pollard

February 15th, 2008 3:59pm

Er, yes I would - I agree with him on climate change!

Joyce H. Smith

February 15th, 2008 4:54pm

Iam 100% fed up with people who sneer at homeopathy and have probably never tried it. If one should not trust something one does not understand, most of us should never fly in a plane. After all, we know metal is heavier than air, so fancy thinking something weighing tons can fly! I shan't waste time trying to persuade these people, let them stick with the system they do have faith in and I hope they will endure with stoicism the iatrogenic illness that so often results.

Verity

February 15th, 2008 8:01pm

Prince Charles hasn't been elected by anyone and thus shouldn't presume to address gatherings on behalf of the electorate. Of course, the same thing could be said about Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, who will shortly be poncing around as "president" of the EUSSR.

Sergey

February 15th, 2008 8:52pm

King or no King, he is certainly no climatologist. He even is not a scientist and has zero understanding how science works, so no right to discuss in public any questionable scientific theory.

Louisa Hamilton

February 16th, 2008 10:19pm

I don't think it is very clever or amusing to be quite so rude and just dismiss Prince Charles. Prince Charles has been wonderful with his anti-GM stance. I am also fed up with the way the results of homeopathy trials are being skewed as in the Lancet's 2005 expose. They took 110 trials, threw out 102 which proved homeopathy worked and concentrated on 8 that were inconclusive to arrive at their decision. I agree the global warming is from the solar flares that have been increasing but you would never think so in the UK right now where it is consistently freezing. Makes you wonder whether little planes are spraying something to cool down the weather. I agree with Dame DeVille about the EU. People are going to get shock when they find out what it is really about.

Joshua

February 17th, 2008 10:30am

"I agree with him on climate change!" -- Huh? Weren't you saying recently that you wanted to pave over the entire countryside? Aren't you the person whose blood boils at the mere sight of a tree?

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